Less Than Crystal
by Juice in the Box
Summary: A restless night for Negi turns into an encounter with Fate that he'll never forget. Just what is that boy up to anyway? The answer never seems as clear as our favorite teacher would like. Fate/Negi yaoi, with some spoilers up to around chapter 220.


Want a warning? Okay then, don't read this if you don't want to see ten year old boys do things to each other that they really shouldn't even know about. There are also slight spoilers up to around chapter 220. I own nothing related to Negima, (except for a Kotaro plush and a copy of every translated volume of the manga,) so please don't sue me Mr. Akamatsu, or I won't be able to continue buying nice things from you.

* * *

Negi Springfield sighed softly as he gazed across the seemingly endless sea of clouds that surrounded Ostia, the howling wind fluttering violently through his unbound hair. Sleep seemed intent on evading him tonight, just as it had the previous night as well.

He knew he was being foolish, that he was worrying himself sick over things he had no control over, but that didn't mean it was any easier to stop. This whole mess was partly his fault whether the others blamed him or not. At the very least he carried responsibility for them as their teacher, a charge he admitted he had failed at rather spectacularly.

Things were at last looking up, however, with the majority of his students due to arrive at the festival over the next few days. Yet even with his plan coming together, Negi still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It felt as if they were missing something and he was positive that whatever it was, Fate Averruncus was involved somehow.

"If only I'd been stronger." the brunette whispered ruefully to the darkness, thinking back to his last encounter with the mysterious white-haired boy. He had been impressed with the older boy's power, albeit reluctantly, as well as with the agility and grace with which the other youth fought. "If I had trained longer, worked harder, then maybe…" he trailed off, remembering the ease with which he had been bested.

"It wouldn't have made a difference, Negi-kun, I assure you." a soft, familiar voice floated in on the wind.

Negi reacted at once, slipping on the magical activation ring Evangeline had given him and assuming a loose combat stance. He looked around wildly, searching for any sign of his unseen enemy, but found none.

He shivered suddenly at the feeling of warm breath on the back of his neck.

"Right here," the voice ghosted from directly behind him.

Negi tried to move away but found that he couldn't; his feet seemed frozen to the ground. Slowly, he turned around, hoping desperately that he was imagining things, but alas, he was not. He had to bite back the cry of astonishment that followed.

There, levitating upside down in the chilly night air was Fate Averruncus, his emotionless face just a few short inches from Negi's own.

"Fate." the brunette whispered grimly, staring defiantly into the hollow eyes of his rival in an attempt to downplay his surprise, to little avail. He was sure the other boy could feel the anxiety radiating off him in waves. He was also painfully aware of the warm blush staining his cheeks, a direct result of the doll-like wizard's close proximity.

The white-haired boy smiled eerily and righted himself, landing silently in front of his prey. "Negi-kun, it's quite late. Good little boys like you should be sound asleep in bed at this time of night." he scolded, the taunt in his voice thinly veiled by mock concern.

Negi blushed even redder, though this time due to indignation. "I-Don't treat me like a kid!" he yelled, flailing his arms around wildly.

"Alright, I won't" Fate deadpanned at the childish display. Quick as lightning he lunged forward, catching the brunette's arms in one hand while sending the other snaking around his waist in a forceful hug. He placed a uniformed leg in between Negi's own and held it there, effectively locking the smaller boy into his embrace.

Negi was too stunned to defend himself. "What are you doing!?" he demanded hotly once his mind caught up to the current situation.

Fate contemplated his catch quietly for a moment and Negi swore he saw something akin to sadness pass through the older magi's eyes.

"What I want for a change." he whispered almost longingly, before leaning in and capturing Negi's quivering lips with his own.

A thousand conflicting thoughts raged across Negi's mind in that instant as he struggled fruitlessly against Fate's iron grip. His eyes widened as the seconds lengthened and he felt his willpower gradually failing. Interestingly enough, he was horrified to discover a part of him was actually _enjoying_ this.

'This is wrong! I shouldn't be doing something like this, especially with another boy and my _enemy_ on top of that! Where did he even learn to do this anyway!? I…' but Negi's mind went blank as Fate finally managed to slip his tongue inside the younger brunette's mouth. 'He's too good at this.' Negi conceded and began responding to Fate's kiss. He felt the white-haired boy's tongue wrap around his own and moaned, blissfully aware of how wrong this was and loving every moment of it. He pressed his tiny body against that of his captor, pleased when a surprised gasp escaped the youth.

"Nngh…"

Despite their powers, both boys still had to breathe and Fate released Negi a moment later, the two of them panting heavily. They stared at each other in silence, each trying to figure out exactly what had just passed between them.

For once, Negi recovered first. "Why did you do that..?" he whispered, his face softening in quiet curiosity.

"I…I don't quite know myself." Fate admitted. He released his hold on the smaller boy and leapt backwards, landing atop the stone railing of a nearby ledge. He took a deep breath and steadied himself, his expressionless mask falling back into place. "Negi-kun, I just…you should know that not everything is as it seems. I'm not really…"

"Not really what, Fate?" Negi pressed, wanting to know what could possibly cause his white-haired nemesis to struggle like this.

Fate shook his head and closed his eyes, muttering a short incantation before a swirl of water began to engulf him. "I…apologize."

"Wait!" Negi rushed forward, attempting to stop the other boy from leaving, but it was too late.

Great. As if he hadn't had enough to think about already. Negi sighed and brought his fingers up to touch his still-moist lips. "Fate…just what are you planning anyway?" he wondered aloud.

This time he received no response, save for the cold, piercing cry of the wind.

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Um, yeah, I felt that was a good spot to end it. I don't quite know why I wrote this and I didn't really have any goal or direction for it. It was just one of those ideas that hang around until they finally escape. I would, however, appreciate any feedback or comments people may have, as well as directions to any other Fate/Negi or Kotaro/Negi stories. Its quite tragic how little yaoi there is for this series, especially considering the Negima boys' overwhelming cuteness.


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